A Villainous Pair
“It’s not this room either,” Starlight Glimmer said, sighing.
She continued down the unlit hall, with every door looking the same as the last. “Would it really hurt to put some signs on these doors? Or at least have a map displayed on the wall?”
At the end of the hall, there was not a fridge, which meant, that Starlight’s midnight binge for snacks had been in vain. She leaned her head on the final door, and her eyes closed on their own.
And then someone grunted.
Starlight’s ears perked up as she pressed them against the door. And then something grunted again! She yelped and bounced off the door, as the grunts continued to produce.
“Just how many bedrooms does this castle have?” Starlight said to herself, as she turned away from the door – what was going on behind it was none of her business. So she went to walk away, but her hooves didn’t travel a step.
The grunts came back again. And the more Starlight listened, the more she picked up traces of pain, then pleasure. The grunts also seemed to originate from a single source… was there only one pony then, behind that door?
Could it be that somepony is in trouble, and they're unable to call for help?
Starlight licked her lips as he whipped her head about, it felt like a pair of eyes were hanging over her. Watching what decision she made, and judging it with their brow. Yet Starlight’s own eyes proved to her that she was alone and that the only one judging her, was herself.
She stopped before the door and took a look through the keyhole, where twinkling stars greeted her gaze. “This isn’t a bedroom? Then where are the noises coming from?”
A shaky hoof reached and took hold of the door’s handle. It slowly turned it right – a squeak came from within the handle and pinched the mare’s heart. With the handle set, Starlight pulled back the door and stepped onto the balcony.
And had she taken another step, then she would’ve crushed the back of Spike the Dragon.
The nightly breeze caressed Starlight’s forehead and gently lifted her back her mane. While the same breeze carried away the sweat on the scaley one’s forehead.
“T-T-Two… H-Hundred–” Spike’s face hovered over an inch above the ground…
The door slammed shut, by product of the wind, causing Spike to yelp and fall flat on his face. Starlight too jumped in the air and screamed, before landing down on her bottom.
Spike rubbed his cheek against the floor as he turned to look at her. “Yes, Starlight?”
“Ee! Er… Hmm.” Starlight crawled back to the door as her mouth produced strange noises. The exe responsible for running her brain crashed, so she just sat there mindlessly, waiting for it to reboot.
She then screamed again.
Her back tried to phase through the door, but reality disallowed such a thing.
Spike narrowed his one visible eye, as he shook his head – incidentally rubbing his cheek more into the floor. A claw slammed down next to him, and Spike used to pick himself up. “Now why are you screaming for?”
“You– ah! Working out?!”
“Yeah? And?”
Starlight tongue prodded out from her mouth, and despite this, Starlight still attempted to speak. But while she did not succeed in using words, she did, however, accomplish in covering her friend in spit.
Spike sighed as he wiped the saliva off his cheek. His mouth opened to shout, yet his eyes caught a glimpse of Starlight’s rising and falling chest. This caused Spike to close his eyes, sigh, and reopen them.
“Easy,” he said in a gentle tone. He put forth an open palm, and he gazed at her from in-between his fingertips. “I want you to clear your mind. Whatever thoughts are happening, don’t matter. Let them pass; don’t get in their way. Instead, focus on your breath, because everything’s going to be a-okay.”
Starlight only stared back at him, confused.
“Just… follow my voice,” he tried once more.
This time, she dipped her head.
“Now, close your eyes” – Starlight did just this –“ , and feel the rise and fall of your chest, as the air enters,” Spike sang, “and leaves.”
A shiver shook throughout Starlight’s body as she tried to calm herself down, but her mind did not pay it any focus. Soon, the mumble-jumbo of seeing a male workout began to fade, as did stress of finding her food; of getting lost in the castle, and as well as the worry that she wasn’t going to get enough sleep tonight.
All those worries faded, and all she could focus her mind on n was that wonderful, nightly-breeze.
Starlight opened her eyes to witness a smiling drake.
“Feeling better?”
She breathed. “Immensely.”
Spike leaned back onto the railing as he let out a breath of his own. “That’s good.” He looked up at the sky. “I thought I was going to have a redo of day zero.”
From in-between the railing, a particular tail began to wag. Such an act looked adorable, and Starlight was dismayed when the tail stopped wagging and fell. In following the tail to its host, one would see scales that had been a light pink, darken to a dark amethyst. And the spikes that had traveled from the top of his head to the bottom of his tail were now shorter in number and gave off a more mane-ish appearance.
The past few months had been long enough to allow Starlight to see how much Spike had grown, but apparently, the time was not long enough for her to have memorized the place. And she was supposed to be a genius.
“Hey,” Starlight began with a sheepish smile, “sorry for... freaking out on you there. I’m still kinda jumpy on what I might see on the other side of these doors.”
“No biggie,” Spike replied with his eyes glued to the stars. “Besides, I’ve seen a few of the stuff Twilight likes to collect.”
And what’s that supposed to mean? Starlight thought, before shaking an inappropriate idea from her head. “Say, Spike? Where did you learn how to calm down ponies like that?”
“Living with Twilight has its problems: dealing with her stress and anxiety are the major two.” Spike rose a claw up to the sky, as he tried to reach out to one of the stars. “But… it would appear that those problems aren’t my responsibility anymore.
“As, once Twilight became a Princess, she learned how to handle those things on her own,” Spike spoke like he was recounting some old story, and every word of it sucked away a little of his energy.
Starlight opened her mouth to speak some reassuring words, yet not a sound came from her throat. She exhaled, and instead looked up at the same night sky.
The stars twinkled ever so brightly, with some of them calling to dance with their waves. Starlight smiled at she went to rest her forehooves on top of the railing so that she could get closer to the show.
Just like how Spike's voice had calmed her down, the night-sky worked to ease her mind of any worries. “I wouldn’t worry too much,” the words came from Starlight on their own, “the ability to cope with a mare’s stress, is going to do you wonders in the long run.”
She caught a glimpse of his grin.
“That would be true,” Spike said, “but my technique only works on ponies that don’t handle stress well.”
Starlight snapped her head. “Are you saying I don’t handle stress well?!”
“Not at all!” Spike surrendered both his claws to the air. “It just so happens that when it comes to stressful scenarios, you—
“Don’t. Finish. That. Thought.”
Spike began to chuckle. “Whatever you say! A Younger version of Twilight…”
In a second, Starlight's muzzle began to press into his snout. In a pair of eyes loomed a fire, which, ironically enough, belonged to a pony this time around.
“I. Am. Not.”
“Of course you’re not,” Spike said while rolling his eyes. “Because only a younger version of Twilight, would get mad at a comment that shouldn’t have upset her.”
Starlight reeled her head back, going so far as to give a little hum. “Fair point, my not-so-little-dragon. Maybe Twilight and I are alike in some fashions, but I still see myself with the stronger willpower.”
“Oh?”
Starlight chuckled. “I’ve always welcomed the hard work that comes from the purist of my goals. My work ethic is incomparable; the number of times I’ve pulled all-nighters is incalculable. My knowledge is so vast that it would be inconceivable for you to understand its vastness.”
Spike looked away for a moment, blinked his eyes, then looked back at the mare. “That word. I don’t think it means what you think it means.”
And another second, Spike could feel the heat radiated off her cheeks.
“What I mean to say is, I’m willing to do anything to be the best!”
Spike didn’t say anything for a moment. He just kept his mouth shut and digested what he had heard. But once he had firmly processed her words, the dragon began to laugh.
Starlight finally backed away from his face. “Why are you laughing? My words weren’t supposed to be funny.”
“Oh, it’s just, if you could grasp my knowledge”– Starlight didn’t take too kindly to that –“you could see Twilight saying the same words and making the same mistakes. You two eat more than what you can chew, just to prove a point.”
Starlight snickered. “I’d rather choke on excellence, than nibble on mediocrity.”
The drake put on a tired smile. “Yeah. And while you’re unable to breathe, just remembered, that the cause of your death, was you stuffing more than what your mouth could hold.” He tapped a claw on the side of his head. “Kinda reminds me of Twilight, in that, because she had taken on so many projects, the air had become too tense for her to breathe.”
The only response Starlight offered was a glare.
“Look,” Spike started, “I’m not saying don’t be adventurous; just be honest with what you can do. There’s no point in scoffing the meal if you’re just going to barf it all over the table; you won’t be able to digest what you had learned.”
Starlight had stopped glaring had him and returned to looking at the stars in the sky.
“Take it a little easy on yourself, it’ll make you and your friends happier.”
Spike leaned his head back against the railing, allowing his eyes to close for a moment's peace.
“So what,” Starlight said. “I got you and Twilight teaching me the magic of friendship?”
A smile formed on Spike’s lips before he had the chance to open his eyes.
“Nah,” he said. “I’ll leave all the hard work to Twilight.” His tone sounded like he was telling a sad joke, “Twilight… she’s a one of a kind pony; she can teach you just about anything and does so in a way... that you just… want to hear her explain it even more.”
Even if her eyes were fixated on what laid above, Starlight’s ears gave Spike their full attention. The melancholic tone in which he spoke of somepony else, it caused some of the stars to dim, and others to brighten up.
“The–” Spike paused to exhale a shaky breath “–the thing is, Twilight’s always been smart, but she was only book-smart. But, now that she’s become a princess, it also seems like she’s become street-smart too.”
Spike couldn’t help but chuckle at his own poor choice of words. “She’s mastered about everything and knows how to apply it too. Everyone calls for her attention, for she knows all the answers. I guess you could say Twilight’s almost perfect, and I… and I… couldn’t be… happier for her.”
The drake gulped something back and wiped what had been welling in his eyes away. In taking a few deep breaths, he managed to rid himself of the crackle that had persisted in his voice.
“You and Twilight,” Starlight began in a soft tone, “you’ve been together for a long time now, no?”
“Since birth, I’ve always been at her side,” Spike recalled with a smile, though that soon disappeared. “Or at least, until now.”
The winds of the night helped calm the scales of the dragon, and caressed the fur of the pony. The duo heard the wind whip around, before taking its leave.
“Hey, Spike?”
“Yeah, Starlight?”
“Sorry if this comes off as intrusive, but, why were you doing push-ups for?”
“Did you want me to tell you the obvious? Or did you expect me to answer your deeper question, which is, why do I want to get stronger?”
The mare only nodded her head.
“Well, I’d say to look good – but I’m already handsome, so there’s no point in that.”
The two shared a quick giggle.
“But, since I’ve finally gone through my growth spurt, I thought it was the time that I pursue my dream.”
Starlight titled her head. “You have a dream?”
“Unfortunately, yes.” He hung his head forward. “Who would’ve thought, that Spike: Twilight's loyal sidekick and advisor, would have a dream of his own.”
“I didn’t mean it like that,” Starlight hasten to say.
“I know,” Spike replied. “It’s me who said that because it's me who thought that.” He went silent a few seconds. “But yeah, I have a dream: that one day, I’m going to be a hero!” He chuckled a dead laugh, as his body collapsed back into the railing.
Starlight giggled, as a smile tugged at her lips.
Spike turned his head to look at her. “Funny, right?”
“Not at all,” Starlight said. “Though it is a bit silly… because aren’t you already a hero?”
“Unfortunately, the Crystal Hero doesn’t match up with my version of a hero. I… I want to be the one who wanders, from place to place, solving problems along with his path. Heh, a hero wearing a cloak with a sword on his back, like the ones you read in books.”
“Is that why I hear ‘swooshing’ sounds and the breaking of pots, late at night?”
“... you heard all that?”
“Yeah,” Starlight sighed, “I’ve always wondered what that racket was when I was studying.”
“Dang it,” Spike whispered to himself. “I was worried that ponies could hear me… I didn’t move my hero training outside fast enough.”
“Hero training, huh?” Starlight smirked as she felt giddy inside – she wasn’t the only one to come up childish names for things.
“Aren’t I just a great inventor of names,” Spike said to himself while looking down at his feet. “Couldn’t even keep my hero training a secret.”
The view of his feet had been replaced by Starlight’s face, which carried along with it a soft smile. “Your secret's safe with me, dragon-hero. And besides, I feel like your cheesy-names add to your charm.”
Spike didn't’ stop frowning. So Starlight brought her face closer, with her smile growing ever so bigger, and her eyes never leaving his. All it took was the wiggling of her eyes brows before his frown turned upside down.
She then went to sit next to the drake, with her hoof resting just a few inches away from his claw.
“Out of curiosity,” Starlight began, “how did you even get the sword?”
“Ah…” Spike looked elsewhere to avoid her gaze.“On our last visit to the Crystal Empire, of course! An old stallion offered it to me… since he was a big fan and all.”
Starlight teleported to Spike’s other side, so he had no choice but to look into her eyes. “B-Because, you know, a dragon like me has so much potential! I mean, one day I’ll be strong and able to wield my own magic, so, he wanted to give me the legendary sword that could protect this nation?”
Starlight didn’t buy any of that bull, as she only scooted closer to the dragon. Her raised brow never wavered, neither did that half smile that was calling him out on his lies. Spike couldn’t take a look much longer, and his shoulders came to crash.
“Okay,” he admitted. “I went a weapon’s shop and asked if they had a legendary sword… that happened to break a few days later… while I was smashing pots.”
Starlight giggled and nuzzled the dragon’s cheek as a consolation prize. “This isn’t something to get flustered over, Spike. If anything, it's kinda cute.”
Spike only groaned.
“Oh, come on, Spike!” she played. “What’s wrong with wanting to dress up and act like a hero?”
“I think most ponies would agree that it's silly.”
Starlight nodded her head. “That’s true.”
Spike turned his head to look at her, and Starlight didn’t look away.
“Most ponies will think a dragon wanting to become a hero is a silly thing. Just like how most ponies think I’m still evil inside, and that I shouldn’t have been forgiven for what I did.”
The streets of Ponyville were empty, with most of its folk inside their homes and fast asleep. The only thing prodding outside were the street-lamps, which offered light to the few that were there to see them lit.
During the day, the sun washes over everyone with its light. But at nighttime, it calls to those small posts to guide the wandering pony back home. And even if there weren't a pony there to walk the path, the lamps would still fight the darkness away.
But on the castle balcony, no such lamps were needed to offer light. As the two were so high up, that the moon’s light could reach them both. And Starlight preferred this type of light, as it always felt reserved to her, and those nearby.
“The funny thing is,” Starlight started to say, “that whenever I worry about other ponies thoughts of me, that a small, chubby, yet heroic dragon comes to mind. And he always keeps repeating the same thing: that it doesn’t matter what others think. What’s important, is what I think, and those whom I love, think.”
She slid her back down the railing so that she could get an even better view of the sky. “It would be nice if I could meet that dragon again: he had a lot of useful advice.”
Laughter erupted from the drake, with each laugh carrying out a weight from within his chest. “Using my arguments against me, are you?”
Starlight only smiled.
“Fine,” he said. “I guess you win that one.”
Both parties smiled as their minds finally came to rest. The frozen snacks in the fridge seemed unappealing to Starlight now, as this chance encounter had filled her body with what she needed.
And since she had what she needed, then it was perhaps time for to make for the door and find her way back to her bed. But as began to rise, Spike posed a question.
“Do you remember it?”
Starlight looked to the dragon. “Remember what?”
“When you were evil.”
Starlight sat back down, sitting opposite of Spike. “What do you mean by that?”
“I don’t mean to trigger any lingering guilt,” he said, “but I’m just curious to see if you still remember when you were evil?”
Starlight opened her mouth, blinked her eyes, and then spoke. “Yes,” she said. “I do.” She said more confidently.
“How did it… feel?”
Starlight inched her head forward. “How did it feel being evil?
“Y-Yeah,” Spike said, as his eyes had to look elsewhere. “How did it feel being evil?”
The wind continued the blow. The moon continued to shine. The silence kept on hanging until it was shattered by a few, simple words.
“It. Felt. Good.”
Spike’s eyes returned to looking at her, but his mouth didn’t dare move.
“I’ve always wanted everything to be fair. And I worked hard to become strong enough… intelligent enough to make that dream a reality – to have my little fair village. And I was in charge of the community, and that made me feel even better about myself.
“Even though that fair village was a nightmare for its inhabitants, I still enjoyed what I did. Even though I was hurting others and blinding myself, I still enjoyed my purpose in life. It was all for the greater good, and I enjoyed carrying that weight.”
Starlight went to continued, but her ears had caught what her mouth had said. Was she telling Spike how she enjoyed those days she regrets so much? Was Starlight trying to make her friends fishy to her again? Would Spike tell Twilight what she had said?
But the question that plagued Starlight the most was this: why had she told Spike of her true feelings?
“I’m glad you’re at least honest.”
Starlight unclenched her eyes.
“And I’m glad I’m not alone in that feeling.”
“Not alone!” Starlight repeated out-loud. “What do you mean by that? You weren’t an evil baby dragon that Twilight recruited, are you?”
Spike dismissively waved a claw. “No, no. I’ve always been on the right side, standing next to Twilight.” His claws slowly began to fall. “Though, there is this one day, that I tried out for the other team.”
Starlight tilted her head.
“Not by choice, of course!” Spike nervously exclaimed. “By chance, I had triggered my greed on my birthday, and became a, proper dragon.” He collected his face in the palm of his claw. “I had your typical rampage: stomp all over the place, destroy some buildings, and even kidnapped my love at the time.”
Starlight blinked at that last part.
“I don’t remember much of what had happened; the memory is like a fast-paced blur. But I do remember; I still enjoy! What I had felt on that day.” His shoulders trembled as chuckles arose from him. “Twilight and friends are always in the spotlight, and almost always on the right side of things. They're the heroes that save the day. And me? I’m just the sidekick that either gets in the way or cleans up the mess afterward.”
Starlight went to speak, but Spike didn’t offer her the chance.
“And it still feels that way. I’ve always felt like a number two – except for on that day, where I became a number one.”
Starlight closed her mouth but did not look away.
“I could do anything I wanted. I didn’t have to come back before my curfew because Twilight was too small to stop me. If ponies said something mean, I could just step near them and watch them pee themselves. I had power, though that wasn’t even the greatest part.”
Starlight dared to open her mouth. “What was the greatest part, Spike?”
“The attention!” He exclaimed. “Everyone had their eyes on me! Acknowledging what I was and what I could do. They had to think – now think about that – they had to think about me, think of a way to stop me.
“At that moment, I was the only thing that mattered – no one else. The feeling wasn’t that my heart was pumping, but that there was a pleasurable shiver that shook throughout my body. Oh… what I would do to feel like that again.”
Spike looked at the moon to try and see his reflection, but he could see no such thing. Sighing, he hunched forward. “But of course, my rampage was stopped by my friends. I reverted to my older self, felt guilty for months on in— yadda, you get the dealio.”
So, Spike, feels the same way I do then, Starlight thought but did not dare to say out loud.
The dragon and unicorn at one point had been on the opposite side of their friends. A spotlight had been cast on them, their roles were major characters, and they were happy to finally be one, even if the audience booed their names.
Whether they were a hero or a villain, Spike and Starlight were just glad to be a part of the story.
“It’s kinda of funny,” Spike said. “Of course, we regret all the bad stuff that we did. But in the moments of our mistakes, we felt like kings and queens, and nothing but defeat could destroy that feeling.” Spike started to laugh, and Starlight wasn’t sure if he was going mad. “I sometimes wonder, what would’ve happened, if I didn’t revert back.”
Starlight blinked her eyes as her mouth hung open.
“If I hadn’t been shown the error of my ways; if my friends hadn’t proved to me, that I would forever regret my actions. I mean, is it bad, to feel good, when doing evil things?”
“Spike, I—”
Spike ignored her, as he continued to follow his trail of thought. “If I had become a villain, would I be happier than I am now?”
“Spike!” Starlight exclaimed. “What are you saying?”
Spike continued to ignore her, as his ideas just carried on. “Would I be further in my goals than I am now? Could I have become strong enough, that Celestia would have to worry about my presence? Then that means I would get to face off against my former friends, and how novel would that be!”
“Spike, are you being serious right now?”
“Maybe I would have my castle, one that’s better than Twilights. And maybe, just maybe, I would have my own friends too!”
Spike began to pant after his rant, as his eyes shot to Starlight and stared right into her soul. Was Spike hoping to find the answer to his questions in there?
“If I became a villain,” Spike said once more, “would I be happier?”
He then collapsed onto the railing, and his eyes came to a close. He didn’t propose any more questions after that, he merely sucked in the cold air, to extinguished the fire within. Spike’s breathing was louder than the whipping breeze, and it chilled Starlight more.
“I… I can’t answer that question, Spike,” she said. “But, I do think I can answer a question you didn’t ask.”
Spike didn’t open his eyes, but he hummed to prove his attention.
“Spike, I speak these words as honest as the element itself. That if I had met you while I was still a villain, and while you were still festering with doubts. I think…”
Spike cracked open an eye, as it searched for her. “I think?”
“I believe we would've become a villainous pair that would’ve wrecked havoc across Equestria.”
Spike closed his eyes once more, as a smile appeared on his lips.
“I would be the ruler of course, due to my knowledge,” she said with a giggle. “Though I would seek your wisdom from time to time, whenever I started to doubt my own.”
Spike chuckled. “Right?”
“But I would still have you on as my enforcer and protector. I would’ve bestowed upon you the proper gear and training fitted for a dragon, and would’ve used you for both my gain and comfort. We would rule the world as a duo, and face our enemies as a team.”
“Because we’re the villainous pair!” Spike exclaimed while shoving a clutched claw to the sky.
“Why yes,” Starlight said. “Though, the words I have said is how I think it would play out. It’s an entirely other story how well we would’ve faced off against the Elements, or even Celestia.”
“Hmm.” Spike tilted his head as he thought. “I don’t think Twilight would be able to fight me, due to our past… so if I was evil enough, I think I could win against her. And, with her gone, the elements couldn’t work on us
“So it would just be me vs. the ponies. I’m not sure how well my magic would have developed, but I’m pretty sure sword beats fur.”
Something rubbed against Spike’s shoulders, Spike turned to see a hoof upon it. “And if someone were to hurt my protector using magic, I’d do the damage two-fold in return with my far superior magic.”
Spike smiled as he felt a green mist evaporate from his eye. “As I would expect from my queen, who is far superior to some Princess.”
A mist also fell from the eyes of Starlight, with a grin accompanying her muzzle. “I would then sit on the throne…”
“Yes!” Spike shouted. “Yes!?”
“And…” Starlight inched her head forward, causing Spike to do the same.
The two heads met in the middle.
“And? And? And!?” Spike couldn’t help but shout.
“And I’d be bored,” Starlight tapped Spike on the noggin, as she pulled back.
Spike could no longer feel or see the mist in either of their eyes. “W-W-What do you mean you’d be bored?!”
“Exactly that: bored and empty,” was her reply. “Sure, I’d get those little spots of attention, and I’d feel good about myself too. I’d think I was bringing justice to the world, and getting more powerful as I do so. I would become someone that you couldn’t laugh at.
“But luckily, I met someone like Twilight.” Starlight started to smile as she looked up at the sky. “She showed me that I was just empty inside; that my dreams were falsely placed, and even if I were to achieve them, I wouldn’t have the world I desired, nor would I be happy with myself. I’d just be bored, empty, and alone. And I’d rather feel a little inadequate in the shadow of Twilight, then feel what I did in that last world.”
She finally looked down at Spike and offered a look that conveyed a feeling which words could only dampen if they tried to explain it. And yet, without needing any words, Spike nodded his head and understood her feelings.
As well as some of his own.
“Part me just really hates Twilight,” Spike muttered just loud enough for Starlight to hear. “She’s always had it good… she’s always had the opportunities presented to her. Twilight was able to study underneath the Princess as a filly, then became the Elements of Harmony as a teenager. Fate has thrown Discord her way, whom she beat and had Fluttershy turn good. And destiny? It had gifted Twilight at the end of her path, the transformation into an alicorn.
“But what about me, destiny? I’m a dragon with potential, awaiting your call. Twilight’s always had a path before her, while I’m here, helping her walk down it.” He took a moment to exhale. “Just when the hell is fate going to give me a chance to become someone?”
Starlight, in response, looked at him. She had her head slightly tilted, with her eyes pierced past his scales. Yet the look she gave wasn’t judging, just, investigating.
“Sometimes,” Spike said, “I feel like that day was my calling, To not have ignored my greed as I have, but to have let bits of it out. If I did that, then maybe, I could walk out from Twilight’s shadow.”
The moon dropped a tear, and it shot away like a shooting star. Starlight recognized it for what it was, and couldn’t help but smile at its meaning. Standing up on all four hooves, she took a step away from the drake, but not a step more.
“Spike,” she said, keeping her back to him, “I’m always here if you need someone to listen to your worries. But I think you know as well as I do, that even if you go down that path, I once walked, that you will dislike what lays at the end.”
Spike lowered his head. “I know. It’s just… it builds up, y’know? All this time is passing, and Twilight getting closer to the light, while I sink deeper into her shadow.” He reached out a claw, but to whom? He did not know.
“Just what am I?” he asked.
“Spike the Dragon.”
Starlight turned around and gripped the claw in her hoof, giving it a shake. “Current stress-reliever and future hero. And if he keeps training the way he does, and keeps being true to himself, despite his fears – then I hope, he’ll be my future partner in crime fighting.”
She let go of the claw, and it continued to hang in the air.
“While it's true we may have been a great villainous pair,” she said, “something tells me we’re going to have a lot more fun playing for the good guys… but only if Spike does just one thing.”
Starlight stopped before the door and reached for the handle.
“What?” Spike asked.
She turned her head and smiled. “Open up more.”
And just before Starlight disappeared past the opened door, she left just a few more words.
“It's your choice what path you walk, Spike. But no path is going to open by you waiting.”
And just like that, Starlight had left. The claw that hung in the air had fallen. The body had slid to the ground so that the entire night sky filled his eyes.
The dragon took a deep breath, held it in, and slowly, exhaled. And from that point on, he admired the night sky; though he wonders a single thought.
If somepony had talked to Luna, all those years ago, would she still have become, Nightmare Moon?
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- Silver Topaz · 7.8k words · 107 16 · 5.2k views
- Silver Topaz · 8.7k words · 67 5 · 3.2k views
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Only thing I hate about this is the one-shot feel. Would love to read more of this Starlight and Spike fiction. Great job.
Yes.
Unless you are doing my bidding.
Then it's ok.
(Evil Overlord rules and stuff)
Also, Spiiiiiiiiike, it feels AMAZING for dragons to swallow ponies whole. You should totally try it. (He'll never be able to stop afterward, then his soul will be mine! MUWAH HA HA!!)
That twist in their conversation at the end honestly tricked me. I really enjoy these philosophical ponderings that you give spike bro. Especially this duo. Keep it up.
The question is kind of superfluous. If hurting others and caring only for your own needs didn't feel good, why would we ever do it?
Someone please give this story better cover art!
Let consult it with the professionals, shall we?
7266966
There's a difference between doing evil because it feels good to do so, and doing evil because it leads to things that you desire. The former has you take actual pleasure in hurting others, while the latter merely requires disregard for the welfare of others.
7266992
In ethics, we call the latter "deferred gratification." Morally speaking, it's considered the same thing.
7266984 What? You don't like ms paint?
I don´t have another word to speak more this story than PERFECT. It´s so perfect that I want to read more and more, a sequel, another universe where they are evil, and another universe where they are the future heroes. Well Done. You are amazing man. Fav. and Watch.
I always love your work!
7267165 As I am in love with yours.
... Update If Only I had Time, asshole.
7267008
You must subscribe to different ideas of morality than me, and most people I discuss morality with. I think it's naturally worse for someone to revel in hurting others than for someone to merely not care about it.
7267292
I suppose I do, yes. Have you ever heard of the term "the banality of evil?" It informs a lot of my opinion on that. Active cruelty is, if nothing else, cruelty against a person. It is a form of caring, because even if you want to hurt them, you still acknowledge that they are people, who have feelings that can be hurt and whose feelings matter to you. Apathy, on the other hand, reduces a person to a thing. It's the kind of evil that can send Jews to the ovens from nine to five by the trainload and then go home to play with its kids after a job well done as if nothing had happened all - because it genuinely is nothing to it. That's what real evil means, in my opinion.
7267307
I have, but I don't agree with it. Cruelty might be a form of acknowledgement of someone, but it's a negative form of acknowledgment that strives to bring said person as low as possible, and I feel that negative enough attention is generally worse than inattention. Treating people as inconsequential to you can lead to things such as the holocaust, yes, but nothing inherent to the human psyche prevents people from doing the same scale of crimes out of pure cruelty, either. I think a theoretical Hitler that killed millions of people solely because he loved the thought of so many people dying painfully under his orders is worse than a theoretical Hitler who killed millions of people because he thought he was improving the state of the human race or because he thought it necessary for his personal power (and yes, I am aware that the actual Hitler was at neither of those two extremes).
In addition, if you look at it another way, cruelty-type evil can be seen as more dehumanizing than banal-type evil. With banal-type evil, the perpetrator sees your value as minimal compared to the goal, and you being victimized is only done because the goal exists. With cruelty-type evil, it means that they consider your life's value to be even lower, since there's no longer any goal necessary to "justify" your pain. If someone killed you because he wanted to steal a million dollars from you, It means that he valued your life as less than the enjoyment he would gain from having an easy million dollars. However, if someone killed you for no reason at all, then it means that the maximum he valued your life is lower than the fleeting enjoyment he gained during the event.
I feel that large-scale crimes like the Holocaust are more often the banal-type because banal-type evil is inherently less evil than cruelty-type evil of the same actions. Crimes with that much pain and suffering inflicted require the participation of many, many people, and it's easier to gain followers/helpers who believe in the goal to the detriment of the welfare of the victims than it is to get enough people to do it solely for the sake of cruelty.
7267406
I'm not in the habit of putting a monetary value to my life in the first place, so frankly, this doesn't make a whole lot of a difference to me.
That was really good.
I....must have more! Feed me!!!!
After Starlight left, she got lost in the halls again and wasn't able to find her room, forcing her to sleep in the hall.
It's an interesting question, but it does beg the more meta-question of what constitutes an evil thing. Starlight seemed pretty sure that what she was doing was for the good of all; not consciously evil, necessarily. Spike was just indulging his natural instincts.
To put it in MTG terms, I like to live by Green/Black philosophy. Acknowledge the truth of yourself and what you want, and then decide whether it's worth trading what you have to get it. It's not wrong to want, and to desire more from life, to be proud or to be willing to take selfish action. If you're not honest about that shit and yourself, then it's just going to boil over eventually (see Spike's musings re: Nightmare Moon). The more you ignore your basic nature, the nastier it strikes back when the time comes. Instead of reviling it, embrace it and find a way to parse it with the 'you' you wish to cultivate. They need not be at odds.
....that got kinda pretentious! Sorry.
Awesome story. I really enjoyed the introspection and makes me want for more.
Oh my gosh! I absolutely love that cover art!
Did anyone else find the princess bride reference?
Hehe... It's an inconceivable notion that I may have actually found it first!
dat amazing cover art, my new favourite!
When the author finds a cover art that fits just right.
i.imgur.com/mTvGsBo.png
This had some excellent characterization. I would enjoy a follow up to this tale.
7267589 Not at all. I enjoyed reading your comment.
7268087 I'm happy that someone found this.
7268221 7268119
Don't you know it? That 10,000 hours in ms-paint didn't go to wate
I like the duo that is Spike and Starlight. They seem to be really good at playing off one another and like Spike pointed out they've bother played the roll of the villan, even if Starlight has been one a lot longer. These two should go on an some epic adventure or heck someone should write them as a evil duo, they could take over Equestria with ease!
Very nice.
Some of the language choices and grammar is a little shakey, but I really love the idea behind this story.
There's something about Spike, the frustrated would-be hero, musing about taking the darker path and opening up about it to Starlight that's just really fantastic! The characterization is great too, though there are parts of dialogue I wish the characters had elaborated on or that we could have been allowed to dwell on in the course of a longer narrative.
All and all though, I was most pleased by this fic and hope to read more in this vein in the future.
Minor mistake there.
Food for thought
7267515 7267406
Sorry to get in the middle of both of your (thankfully peaceful, at the moment) discussion/argument. but I can't help that the topic of Cruelty vs Banal Evil is missing a key component more so on the Banal side, and that is motive.
Now, I'll just go straight tl;dr and say that while, in my opinion, cruelty, in terms of wanting to cause pain to another for no other person that to cause said pain, is an inherit evil, while banality, unfortunately, needs to be questioned about the motives and ethnics of the method to that goal, such as torture to provide accurate information that could save millions of lives, and thus falls, at least in my mind, in the relatively moral gray, as sometimes it does come down to intent.
So therefore I do not believe what Spike wishes to do is evil per say, as he has a quite understandable desire/motive, but the method is quite questionable and can be seen quite negatively easily as other avenues, if available, should be pursued first.
Would also like to add that the whole thing really does come down to the psychology of the person sometimes.
Let me try and bring up some scenarios of what I mean:
1. Greater Good
Let's say someone needs to commit a few thousand to die to save a million, for instance. Now, while I understand that the loss of life is a tragedy that should try to be avoided, there are sometimes where its not, or sometimes where you have to judge the value of someones life over another, or maybe even many. Sometimes this person you are sacrificing could really mean something special to you, and therefore the choice is made considerably harder. We could also put mercy killings under this list as to some they are considered an evil, as it is ending someones life regardless if they would survive either naturally or with medical help, however, can be seen as a greater good evil as it spares the person of pain, or a quick death.
Now I will believe the loss of one close or a few many will haunt the person who has to make that call, and some will probably call them evil regardless of their choice, but who can really judge them and call them evil or good?
2. Routine
Now I will admit, I didn't really start reading what banality of evil really meant until I was halfway through the first section, so I just decided to leave it there, but this one struck me, as it is something that I continue to see to this day, and shall be terming it as sheeple (sheep + people). One of the problems with sheeple is that they can also be generally good hearted people that unfortunately were raised in a community of other sheeple and therefore unknowingly accept the evil as just ordinary life. The absolute difficulty against this "evil" is that it's nigh impossible to get these sheeple to see another view outside that they have accept as fact. To them, it would be like saying the Earth revolves around the Sun when they are raised to think that our solar system is geocentrical. While we do call sheeple evil for blindly following a false belief, even when offered a different "truth" to follow, under whose subjectivity do we judge those kind of people when they full heartily believe that what they are doing is normal and right?
Now I put this in the middle because it's a combination of both the previous and next, and that would be the example of if a mother, with 100% certainty, believes that you have kidnapped their child, even when it's factual that you haven't, how do you tell that mother that she is wrong, and is she called evil if she where to hurt you?
3. Desperation
This example kind of came to mind when just reading your comments and just thinking of it, and that would be if there was a starving person, or some sort of person in desperation, the object of their desperation, in this case food, for example a sandwich, and someone stopping the desperate person from reaching/obtaining the item of their desperation, would that desperate person be evil?
On one hand, I can understand the yes, as they have hurt someone in the process, but I can understand that either there could be no other way, or the desperate person sees no other way, than to harm the person blocking them to gain the item of their desperation.
Now the last two I feel is where this is really questioned as they are probably the first things to mind when talking about this.
4. Self Gain
Now this one is the most trickiest of slopes sometimes, as I could almost lump what Spike desires into this, but the other side is things like thievery of something you already have, and willing to harm another to gain it, such as breaking into a home, stealing money, or items of value, and other acts such as ... rape. I really do hesitate to place acts like rape into this category, but as far as I know, sometimes, and when I say sometimes, I believe rarely, rape is about the self pleasure granted through sex, otherwise I believe it is the desire of power of another person which then makes it more of an act of cruelty. As far as the stealing one go, I would not place a starving person beside a well fed person and call them both stealing a loaf of bread the same act, as a person who has the capacity to get what they need without resorting to harm, but doesn't pursue such avenues, rides a very fine line when being judged, as sometimes it is the motive that needs to be judged along side the method, but who can be the one to judge? As I said, this is the trickiest one to judge as it really does, at least to me, ride down the line of banality and cruelty.
Now what Spike desires is difficult to place, as well as difficult to judge, as, in my opinion, place somewhere in the middle of desperation and self gain, as he is not completely starved of attention, but does honestly wish for a little more good attention, and does have the means to obtain it, but relies heavily, if not solely, on the whims of others, and that can be an extreme test of will, as you pretty much are at their mercy, and their capacity to listen and understand your plight, and it might not always end well, because they may not understand and therefore brand what you are prepared to do to gain what you wish as evil, but who, in the end, does gives the final verdict of if it's evil or not?
5. Job/Commitment
This is another one I saw upon reading, but also makes sense as to why it's brought into question, and that would be if your job was to bring hurt to others. This ranges from assassins to soldiers to interrogators to meat farmers. Heck, even some doctors, especially abortion clinics can be brought into this. Hell, you could just about create an entire morality chart based of the people in this section alone, where you have probably soldiers somewhere in the lawful section, because we trust them to protect us, yet they kill others and have committed horrendous acts, even from our side. You have assassins who could easily kill someone without though yet die if it meant protecting the ones they love, which would make them gray as all hell, and probably straight in the middle somewhere. Then you have interrogators, who would probably be in the chaotic sections, as they are supposed to cause as much hurt to extract information of use. The biggest thing that is brought into question with all of this section is the ethics of the action, which isn't always a clear cut black and white.
The main problem I see with judging the banality of evil, that apathetic thought, or even valuing an item over another being is the ethic and motive of it all. We are taught not to steal or hurt others when we are young, but as we grow up and venture through life, we find that hurt is inevitable, and sometimes, depending on the person situation, so is stealing. We also learn that because we are all different, we all have different views on what's right and wrong. Sure, some to match, but how can we honestly tell the other person that they are wrong, what gives us the right to do so, and who judges that our right is the true right? As our number in population grows, so too do the number of opinions of what right and wrong.
That is where I believe the motive behind the hurt needs to be considered along side how the hurt has been done to get a bigger, more complete picture sometimes before passing final judgement.
For instance, I know of someone who sometimes isn't above hurting to get some much needed attention, as they usually do not have much. Now, while I do not agree with their methods, I can understand their motive and if I have hurt them in response, I would apologize for doing so while offering them different approach methods for gaining that same attention, and not thing lesser of that person. In the end sometimes the motive can lessen the blow of the judgement, at least in my opinion.
Now I know this was a big read, and if you have read it all, I thank you kindly. I would also like to hear your thoughts be they agreeing or opposing, though, I will apologize, I will not accept those that are aggressive or demean, but I doubt that you two would give such feedback based on your discussion to each other.
Wow. Second day and you're still going strong on the feature board.
Nice work!
7270163 That was quite the read. You bunch have covered most of the philosophical aspect of the title, which I did not expect to happen. Thank you guys for having a discussion that was far more intelligent than the fic itself.
I don't think I'll be able to add in anything new on the subject, so I'll try taking a physiological approach.
The will of Spike is depicted weak in this fic. It's at a point now where he doesn't even trust his own word or will, but that of almost anyone else. He can see his own potential, yet for some reason, he is unable to grasp it. Now, this is dangerous thing, like you have pointed out. As long anyone with a critical ability gives Spike the approval he yarns for, then he'll be cast under their spell.
It doesn't even have to be like the such. Starlight could've put him down in this fic, called his ideas bizarre or crazy, and Spike would go on believe so. A hatred would probably stir on its own, and Spike would think that the dark path is the only path he can take. It must suck to get that edgy, where your entire villain career could've been stopped by one simple talk.
But let's say Spike finally gets the approval from Twilight, and becomes your typically fantasy hero: he's still messed up. Because it wouldn't be him calling the shots, it would be Twilight. He couldn't think for himself, but rather, just offer his thoughts to Twilight and let her come to a supreme answer.
Which makes me wonder, what would be better? Spike's a hero who has no control over his will. Or he's a villain by his lonesome, but he at least makes his own choices.
I prefer the latter only for the concept.
It is bad to do evil things. How you feel about it doesn't matter, only what you choose to do.
Case in point, really. That kind of self-serving double standard is the favourite excuse of would-be monsters everywhere. "I was only following orders." "it was for the greater good." "I did what had to be done." It's a very convenient way to avoid having to take any actual moral responsibility for your own actions. You want to know how to get an entire country full of people to sit by and do nothing while the corpses pile up by the millions? Tell them they're not to blame, tell them the ends justify the means, tell them that some people just don't have the right to be treated with basic human decency. Nobody is responsible and you don't have to feel guilty, because murder and torture and systematic atrocity are only evil when they do it. It's just the way things are and we're the heroeis, because righteousness is on our side.
At that point, poof go any kind of guilt or empathy. People are now divided into "real" people with moral rights and acceptable targets who aren't. Human being becomes a description of which side you're on, not that you're a thinking, feeling being that some things just shouldn't be done to. It's as easy as that. What you do doesn't matter, just who you do it to.
All things considered, I have more respect for the sadistic thrill killers. At least they're not adding insult to insury by being complete hypocrites about it to boot.
7270163
I'm just wondering: Why do you have self-gain and desperation in different sections? I mean, the example you use for desperation implies that he would have died, but continued survival strikes me as a gain for himself too.
This could easily apply to Diamond Tiara. I'd love to read a story where she and Starlight are bonding over their past.
There's a great story in here that I'd love to see as a fanfic. I would so read It! Speaking of reading, I might want to check out The Count of Monte Cristo.
7273201 I recommend you do, as it is a great book.
Though, do keep writing for us.
I like it. It brings light to the surface on regret and thrill of being bad. Nice part about the villainous pair.
I believe Twilight wouldn't fight Spike really hard because she is ....... I don't know but she cares to much to put much passion into a fight. 
Love the points that were brought up.
7836653 i feel bad using that tag but never know why
7836839 i shy away from drama in real life, so it never dawn on me that drama is the premise to most of my stories, if that makes any sense.
7836844 Learn in one episode or just cry it out, brother.